Mark Hunter MP

Local Election Results

May 9, 2011 11:04 AM

Last Thursday, Cheadle constituency Liberal Democrats won four out of the five seats they were defending in this year's local elections to Stockport Council. Over the seven council wards in the constituency the Lib Dems won 4, the Conservatives won 2, the Independent Ratepayers won 1, and Labour 0.

Lib Dem councillors Pam King, Paul Porgess, Suzanne Wyatt and Ben Alexander were victorious in Cheadle & Gatley, Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle Hulme South and Stepping Hill wards respectively. Sadly, Helen Foster-Grime was defeated by the Conservatives in Bramhall North ward, despite achieving the highest individual Lib Dem vote in the whole of the Stockport borough - 2261! Paul Carter in Bramhall South and Eric Brindley in Heald Green were also unsuccessful on the night.

Elsewhere in Stockport it was a tough night for the Lib Dems, who, despite winning 8 out of the 12 seats they were defending, lost a total of 3 to the Conservatives and 1 to Labour. The current composition of the council is now 31 Lib Dems, 16 Labour, 11 Conservative, 3 Independent Ratepayers and 2 Independent Left.

Commenting after the results were declared at Stockport Town Hall, Cheadle MP Mark Hunter said, "There's no doubt that overall this has been a disappointing night for the Lib Dems - many good local councillors have been defeated on a national swing despite their excellent record in our local communities. I pay tribute to their efforts and, of course, congratulate our successful candidates - particularly Pam, Paul, Suzanne and Ben in the Cheadle constituency on their hard-won victories. The Lib Dem group at the Town Hall will, I'm sure, continue to provide effective leadership and ensure that Stockport remains one of the best run local authorities in the North West.

For the Lib Dems, we must now listen and learn from these results and what people were telling us on the doorsteps. There are a number of lessons, but we are a determined and resilient party and I know we can and will have better nights again in the future.